DSWD seeks NBI, police help in 2 cases of online sexual abuse vs children

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police for action on two recent cases of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC).

A report from DSWD Field Office VIII showed that the two OSEC cases involved a 13-year-old girl from Silago in Southern Leyte and a 17-year-old from Tacloban.

“(The) cases were referred to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Unit for surveillance,” read the statement.

In the same statement, DSWD Regional Director Marie Angela Gopalan said families “should give our children utmost protection as kids are vulnerable to exploitation.”

Gopalan also said that the internet has become “an integral part of modern life and that OSEC has become a lucrative business.”

In a study by the International Justice Mission (IJM), cases of internet-based sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines continued to go up, with eight out of every 10 perpetrators related by blood or affinity to the victims, according to a new study.

An estimated number of internet protocol (IP) addresses used for OSEC soared from 23,333 in 2014 to 81,723 in 2017, the IJM study further showed.

IJM also claimed that cases of OSEC in the Philippines have tripled in as many years, with eight out of every 10 perpetrators related by blood or affinity to child victims.

This fact has already reached the Senate, with Senator Risa Hontiveros alerting the NBI about the “dramatic” spike of cases of OSEC in the wake of government-imposed lockdowns.

EDV